Yes for ECS 5B

1. 5B continues the funding from 3A passed in 2016 that is critical to keeping Eagle County Schools financially secure and viable. 3A originally helped backfill state budget cuts stemming from the 2008 recession. The district had not yet rebounded to pre-recession funding levels when COVID-19 happened, causing a new recession that is projected to cut ECS funding by 8 to 9 million dollars a year for another decade.
2. Combined with equally unpredictable enrollment projections as the community recovers from COVID-19, it is more urgent than ever to continue the funding stability that 5B provides.
3. State legislators have proven time and again that educational funding has to come from local support. Local taxpayers directly see the benefit investment in local schools provide, and are thus more supportive of local solutions as compared to state-level initiatives.

YOU ARE THE SOLUTION

Local schools are still the best barometer of community values. What a community invests in its school, financially and emotionally, determines what the community gets from its schools. It’s an authentic circle of life. Eagle County residents work hard for their money, they want opportunities for their children, and they invest in their local schools. 

Passing 5B does not increase your property taxes. Passing 5B continues our current level of investment to provide much needed stability to keep our schools healthy.

Download our FAQ here. 

E•ƒ(ec) 2020 Election Guide

“How to be a public education voter in Colorado.”

Learn more about the following ballot initiatives:

VOTE YES ON 5B – Eagle County Schools                                                                        VOTE YES

• Extend the mill levy override approved by voters in 2016 which provides crucial funding of $8 million annually for Eagle County Schools without increasing taxes
• The critical result because of budget cuts due to COVID include:
  • Retain dedicated quality teachers and ensure our children learn in the classroom or online
  • Support our students mental well being
  • Provide safe learning environments

 Amendment B – Taxes and Property                                                                               VOTE YES

• Repeals the Gallagher Amendment of 1982, which limited the residential and non-residential property tax assessment rates so that residential property taxes amounted to 45% of the total share of state property taxes and non-residential property taxes amounted to 55% of the total share of state property taxes
• Residential property values are holding steady, nonresidential property values are declining, which could go from 7% to 5%, and lose $500M in local funding for schools that the state would have to make up, but would be extremely hard to make up given the state economy during COVID

 Proposition EE – Tobacco and Taxes                                                                                VOTE YES

• Increases taxes on tobacco, creates a new tax on nicotine products such as e-cigarettes; dedicates funds to education and health programs
• Will raise $90 million in 2.5 years, future dollars raised will go to Pre-K
• Cons…Not enough to fix education problems, could work against us in terms of a substantial measure (like the marijuana tax), and not enough to fix education funding problems

Proposition 116 – Taxes                                                                                                     VOTE NO

• Decreases the state income tax rate from 4.63% to 4.55%
• Would cut Colorado’s general fund by $300 million resulting in an approximate loss of $150 for Colorado’s public schools

Proposition 117 – Taxes                                                                                                     VOTE NO

• This would add a new TABOR-like provision to state law, requiring the state government to get voter permission before it creates major new “enterprises,” which are partially funded by fees
• Colorado voters already have authority over tax increases and rarely approve them. The state Supreme Court has held that a fee is different from a tax because it is reasonably connected to a specific purpose. And in the years that TABOR has been in effect, lawmakers have used them as a way to raise money without raising taxes. Critics see fees as an end-run around TABOR’s spending limits.

Other important local measures:

Measures to address the negative impact on mountain and rural mandated by the Gallagher Amendment. Eagle County voters have already approved similar measures for Colorado Mountain College, three fire districts, our ambulance district and Eagle Valley libraries.

• Yes on 1A—Eagle County
• Yes on 2E—Town of Avon
• Yes on 2B—Town of Eagle
• Yes on 2G—Town of Vail
• Yes on Issue A—Eagle River Fire’s Gallagher measure, sent in a separate ballot to district residents

Please turn in your ballot by Tuesday, November 3^rd, 2020